The end of the semester is approaching quickly, and as always, this means a sudden eruption of fliers across campus with pleas for a fellow student to sub-lease a room.

Sub-leasing can be a good solution for students when a situation arises that requires someone to leave their dwelling before the original lease expires.

There is absolutely no excuse for driving drunk, yet people still do it every day.

That’s why I was glad to hear about ASG testing the new Safe Ride program to replace Students With Alternative Transportation, better known as S.W.A.T.

Safe Ride was tested this weekend, and it looks like the program might have the potential to greatly reduce the amount of students who get behind the wheel after drinking.

Without meaningful enforcement, frivolous rules can and will be broken.

It raises the question of why they are made in the first place. Rules are created to provide a sense of comfort and order. Unfortunately, too many restrictions create a sense of disorder because there is no way to enforce them all.

Take smoking on campus, for example. Everyone at Texas State is aware smoking is not allowed in The Quad, but people choose to break this rule because it is not enforced. The only repercussion is a request from peers to go elsewhere.

In the age of instant gratification, there is no such thing as too fast.

Luckily for us, the City of San Marcos is working on speeding things up in the area. The one and only Google announced plans to build and test ultra high-speed Internet networks in communities across the nation, and San Marcos is in the running to be one of their super-speedy guinea pigs.

It is often said it takes a village to raise a child.

If true, we are lucky the Bobcat Blend is a composting program and not an actual infant. It is an awesome program, but the village could definitely do more pitching in to help Bobcat Blend flourish.

There are two parties responsible for holding back this amazing effort to compost on campus. One is the village idiot (or, in this case, idiots). These are the folks who approach to the Bobcat Blend containers and, for some reason, cannot comprehend the clearly labeled signs.

Southwest Texas State alumni and Texas State students alike should be familiar with a popular quote from Romeo and Juliet. It reflects my sentiments regarding the continuing controversy surrounding the  much hyped (and derided) name-change.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

See? Even William Shakespeare believes all this bickering about a name change from seven years ago is pure silliness.

Despite its poorly planned date, probably approved by important people who wear suits every day, the 2010 census is no April Fools’ joke.

We’ve all seen census-related signs and banners around town and might be familiar with the commercial featuring a mustachioed man and his cheery neighbors. News articles and advertisements alike have been heralding the census’ arrival telling about the benefits of being counted.

No matter what fancy language in which you disguise it, requiring a careless pet owner to microchip their pets is still mandatory microchipping.

The San Marcos City Council approved a measure that requires pets to be microchipped after the second time they are picked up at the shelter.

San Marcos residents have voiced repeatedly that they are wary of having pets microchipped, and animal rights advocates argue that the technology is not always an accurate form of identification and could possibly cause health problems.

If you haven’t heard about the university’s decision to can the Texas State Intensive English program because of space issues, you’ve been living in a hole in the ground.

Students have been actively voicing their support for TSIE across campus.

The Facebook group, “Do Not Shut TSIE Down!!” has more than 900 members who want the university to look into alternative solutions to the space problem instead of closing down the program.

It is a big, scary world out there.

College students have the opportunity to gain the education and skills they need to help overcome the obstacles people face in the so-called real world.

These skills may be jeopardized, however, in the name of protection.

Texas State is working to make TRACS more like a social networking site to offer students a safe, learning environment, free from the dangers of sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Seriously?